Stickman Brand Design by Yitian Zeng is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award in Packaging Design Competition Category.
IronPackaging· 2025
Stickman Brand Design
by Yitian Zeng
Client: Stickman
A' Design Award Winner in Packaging Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #164180The Design
About Stickman Brand Design
Stickman is a brand identity designed for a bubble tea shop in Kansas City. The identity is based on a friendly mascot character that represents the two main offerings of the shop, bubble tea and skewer snacks. The artwork was made with digital illustration and vector drawing, so the design can be scaled without loss of clarity. Stickman appears on banners, an illuminated sign, aprons, curtains, cups, straws and delivery bags, in metal, fabric and polypropylene. The intent is a warm and inclusive look for visitors of all ages.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Stickman Brand Design is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Stickman Brand Design is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Stickman Brand Design is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Where to Get It
Brand Identity Design Services
We create award-winning brand identities that capture your business personality and connect with your audience. From logos to packaging, our designs blend strategic thinking with creative execution to help businesses stand out in competitive markets.
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Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to Stickman Brand Design's visual identity seamlessly blends playfulness with professionalism - could you walk us through the creative process that led to this distinctive balance?
To reach the balance between playfulness and professionalism, started with understanding the owner's vision. Through a series of conversations, I gathered insights into the atmosphere he wanted to create and the kind of experience he hoped customers would remember. He wanted the brand to feel welcoming, approachable, and memorable, without appearing overly childish.I also studied the visual landscape of bubble tea and snack brands throughout the Kansas City area. What I found was interesting: while each brand had its own personality and perspective, there was also a strong sense of inclusiveness and openness within the community. Rather than following a single trend, many successful brands embraced individuality while remaining accessible to a broad audience.This insight guided the design direction for Stickman. I introduced playful elements through the mascot and rounded forms, while maintaining clarity and consistency in the typography and overall visual system. The result was a brand identity that feels friendly and expressive, yet polished enough to support long-term growth and create trust with customers.
The rapid success of Stickman Brand Design in Kansas City's diverse food scene is remarkable - what cultural insights and local market research shaped your design decisions to achieve such strong community resonance?
Much of Stickman's resonance can be attributed to the culture of Kansas City itself. During my research, I found a community characterized by openness, inclusiveness, and a genuine willingness to embrace new experiences. People appreciate brands with distinct personalities, yet they also value authenticity and accessibility. These cultural insights encouraged me to create a visual identity that feels playful, welcoming, and culturally inclusive. Rather than forcing a trend, the design aimed to reflect the spirit of the community, allowing the brand to naturally connect with people from different backgrounds and become part of the city's diverse food culture.
Looking at Stickman Brand Design's implementation across various materials and scales, from 12-foot banners to delivery bags, how did you ensure consistent visual impact while adapting to different mediums?
Ensuring consistency across various materials was less about scaling graphics and more about creating a cohesive brand experience. Throughout the process, I maintained close communication with the owner and developed a series of prototypes and application mockups, ranging from 12-foot storefront banners to packaging and delivery bags. These previews provided a comprehensive view of how the identity would behave across different touchpoints and enabled collaborative review before implementation.Taking a holistic approach allowed us to evaluate visibility, proportions, and emotional impact in context, rather than in isolation. This helped preserve the brand's playful and welcoming personality while ensuring a consistent visual presence across every medium.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Stickman, a bubble tea shop in Kansas City, opened in May 2024 with the slogan "bubble tea and stick bite." It quickly gained popularity for its cute brand design, high-quality tea, and snacks. The shop’s warm, inclusive service caters to all age groups, earning a 4.8/5 on Google reviews. Stickman’s visually engaging branding and customer-centric experience have attracted attention from local food media and influencers, establishing it as a key player in Kansas City's food scene.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The Stickman brand design is applied on various in-store and promotional assets, including a 12 ft x 4 ft banner, 12 ft x 6 ft LED business sign, and printed materials such as aprons, curtains, cups, straws, and delivery bags. Materials used include metal, fabric, and polypropylene. The design is scalable, ensuring consistency and clarity across both physical products and digital platforms.
- Tags
- branding, shop, packaging design, illustration
- Production Technology
- The Stickman brand was created using digital illustration and vector design in Adobe Illustrator, ensuring scalability for various applications. The design process involved research into local food trends and customer preferences to align the visuals with the target audience. Emphasis was placed on a playful yet clean aesthetic, ensuring versatility across digital platforms, print media, and physical signage.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was designing a brand that reflected Kansas City diverse cultural and economic landscape. While the city is known for its agricultural roots, it also has a growing multicultural food scene. Balancing this with the shop identity was key. Researching customer preferences across age groups ensured the brand resonated with the community diversity.
- Research
- The research focused on local food trends, especially snack shops and tea places. Objectives included understanding customer preferences through interviews with various age groups and a 1 on 1 interview with the store owner to align the design with their expectations. Data collected informed the brand and customer service. The shop achieved a 4.8 out of 5 Google rating and highly recommended on Yelp, demonstrating the brands success in creating a memorable and diverse customer experience.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Stickman came from the desire to create a fun, approachable brand for all ages. The playful character and combination of bubble tea and skewer snacks represent the shop’s unique offerings. The design reflects Stickman’s mission of providing a warm, inclusive experience, symbolized by the mascot’s friendly expression. Local food trends and customer preferences were key to shaping the visual identity, ensuring it resonates with Kansas City’s diverse audience.
- Project Duration
- The project was done within 8 months and was launched officially in May 2024.
- Operation Flow
- The Stickman brand creates a seamless interaction between the customer and the shop identity. The friendly mascot and visuals immediately catch attention, making the experience fun and memorable. The consistent design across banners, signs, packaging, and uniforms enhances brand recognition. Customers easily associate the playful visuals with the shops high-quality service, creating a welcoming atmosphere that improves overall customer satisfaction.
- Image Credits
- Image: Yitian Zeng, 2024.
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